Death During Transplant Evaluation

A teenage patient died at AIIMS Delhi early Tuesday morning while undergoing evaluation for a possible heart-lung transplant, after her family says they had spent more than 13 years seeking corrective heart surgery. The girl, identified as Tanvi, was admitted to the hospital on August 24 following discussions with doctors about a possible transplant, according to her father, Mukesh Pariyani, as reported by NewsBytes and Outlook India.

Tanvi underwent an endoscopy on Monday as part of the transplant work-up. Her condition deteriorated early Tuesday when she complained of fatigue and weakness, becoming cyanotic with oxygen saturation falling to 48%, said Dr. V Devagourou, head of department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS). Despite efforts to revive her after she suffered a hypoxic spell resulting in cardiac arrest, she died, he said.

Medical History and Ruled-Out Surgery

Dr. Devagourou said Tanvi was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect with pulmonary atresia in 2012, and surgery was evaluated for 2013. An AIIMS note from January 31, 2014 described the case as “VSD + pulmonary atresia” and advised “unifocalisation & conduit” surgery, with the cost put at Rs 1.2 lakh, according to Outlook India. The family says dates for surgery were set in 2015 but never happened.

Devagourou said surgery was ruled out in 2018 due to her complex cardiac anatomy, and she was subsequently managed medically. A 2018 assessment said the vessels feeding her lungs were absent and called her heart anatomy complex, as reported by Outlook India. The doctor had earlier told TOI that she was not a candidate for corrective surgery since the pulmonary arteries were virtually absent and the procedure could be fatal if the anatomy did not fit.

Tanvi remained on follow-up, and she was admitted on August 24 for evaluation for a possible heart-lung transplant. An AIIMS doctor told TOI on August 28 that the child was “presently admitted for work-up for possible heart and lung transplant.”

Father's Account of Repeated Delays

Speaking to ANI, as reported by NewsBytes, Pariyani said they first visited the hospital on October 10, 2012, at the OPD. He said they were initially referred to Dr. Sachin Talwar, who asked him to deposit money and blood, assuring that he would operate. He deposited them on April 4, 2014. After the OPD visit, he was given an operation date. However, when they went on September 2, 2015, they were told the operation would be done after Diwali.

He said this back-and-forth continued in 2023, 2025, and 2026, prompting him to file complaints. After the 2025 complaint, they were asked to come on July 28, 2025. But when they went, the doctor was on leave again, and they were later told that the child would manage on medication alone and had no issues. “They kept running tests, but the operation never happened,” he said.

Allegations and Demand for Inquiry

Pariyani said he was not given a satisfactory explanation for his daughter’s death and alleged that hospital staff repeatedly asked him for documents. He also alleged that staff pressured him at different points to take discharge. He said he suspected a conspiracy and wanted the circumstances leading to his daughter’s death investigated. “I want the strictest possible action to be taken... I demand an inquiry; I want ,” he said, as reported by NewsBytes.

Pariyani has not yet taken his daughter's body from the hospital, saying he wants answers. AIIMS and the doctors did not respond to TOI’s specific questions about why surgery was not done after the 2013 evaluation or what led to its being ruled out in 2018, according to Outlook India.